Reading books together is one of the most valuable activities you can do with your child to support their speech and language growth. Here's why:
Exposes Them to Rich Language
Books introduce children to a diverse vocabulary, complex sentence structures, and new concepts beyond everyday conversation.
Builds Comprehension Skills
As you read, you model how to understand and make meaning from language, which are key comprehension abilities. For a younger child, you can point to the pictures and just label what you see using single words, for example “dog”.
Promotes Interactive Engagement
Asking questions, making predictions, and discussing the story engages your child actively in the reading experience.
Working on wh- questions
To work on wh-questions during shared book reading, pause periodically and ask questions like “What colour is it?” "Who is in the story?", "Where is the character going?", and "Why do you think the character did that?". This encourages your child to actively engage with the story and practice answering different types of wh-question
Fosters Attention and Concentration
The focused time spent listening to and talking about books may strengthen your child's attention span.
To get the most out of reading time:
· Choose books with vibrant illustrations and engaging stories that match your child's interests.
· Match your book choice to your child’s language level for example if your child is speaking in single words or is babbling, pick a book with mostly pictures and few words.
· Pause frequently to ask questions, make comments.
· You can use the same repetitive language for example “turn the page”; “story is all done”; “put the book back in the box”
· Encourage your child to point out objects, name characters, and talk about what's happening.
· Use different voices and expressions to bring the story to life.
· Follow your child's lead - let them guide the pace and level of interaction.
· Make reading together a special daily routine.
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